


if the monsters come

by ednae



Series: vld drabbles [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Drabble, Gen, Platonic Cuddling, broganes, mentions of trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 07:42:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12576968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ednae/pseuds/ednae
Summary: Shiro used to have a routine for keeping the monsters away from his dreams.





	if the monsters come

**Author's Note:**

> reblog [here](https://stellunaria.tumblr.com/post/166850412197/if-the-monsters-come)!

Shiro remembers those late nights back home, when shadows within shadows would cast themselves throughout his room, transforming furniture into terrifying monsters and other creatures of the night.

He had a routine: check the closet, check the bed, adjust the chair in the corner of his room so it was just outside the beam of moonlight shining through his window. It kept the monsters at bay, and he was able to sleep well knowing that no creepy shadows would come to life and haunt his dreams.

Unfortunately, his routine only applied to his room. So when Keith would push his door open—he always left it cracked, since Keith was too small to reach the knob—and his sniffing and crying would rouse Shiro from his sleep, Shiro already knew what to do.

“Come here,” he would whisper, as if speaking any louder would wake the monsters from their slumber, and then he would pull his blankets down and wait for his brother’s tiny body to waddle over to the bed. Then Keith would grab onto the sheets and pull himself up, determined to do it alone and fussing whenever Shiro tried to help. He would chuckle a little, and then settle in next to Keith as they both drifted off to sleep, knowing they were safe from monsters and the nightmares they brought with them.

* * *

Shiro closes his eyes against the memory and swallows down his pride, reaching out to knock on the door in front of him. The metallic echo sounds far too loud to him, and his heart skips a beat as he waits for a response.

The door swishes open to reveal a tired, disgruntled Keith, still so short despite growing so much. He blinks a few times, adjusting to the sudden brightness of the hallway, and then he trails his gaze up from the floor to meet Shiro’s eyes.

“Shiro…?” he asks, voice groggy and slow. “What are you doing?”

He feels a spike of embarrassment turn his face a bright shade of pink, and he looks away as he regrets ever coming here.

“I just… well I had a, uh—” Shiro clears his throat and tries again, “I had a nightmare and, um, I wasn’t sure what to do.”

He chances a peek at Keith and relaxes when he sees his face soften, a small, nostalgic smile cracking through his grumpy exterior. Keith nods a little and moves away from the threshold, motioning for Shiro to follow him into the room.

It’s dark inside, only a few muted lights along the floor as a pathway to the bed. Keith closes the door, engulfing the room in deep shadow. The darkness spikes his nerves again, and he can’t help but feel that something is watching him. His heart rate speeds up as his eyes dart around the room, looking for the distinctly humanoid, purple monsters which haunt his dreams.

Keith doesn’t go directly to the bed, though. Instead, he walks to the closet at the back of the room and opens the door, peaking his head into the pitch black. He moves on to the bed, kneeling down and lifting the mattress up a little, peering beneath before dropping it. There’s no chair, nor a window, so he finishes the routine with a shrug and turns to face Shiro again, a triumphant grin on his face.

“No monsters here,” he proclaims, then climbs into the bed, lying on his side to make sure there’s enough room for Shiro. He turns down the blankets and smooshes himself against the wall while he waits, snuggling into the bed with half-lidded eyes. A yawn escapes his lips, and his brow furrows.

Shiro smiles warmly as he remembers when the roles were switched, so many years ago.  He sits down on the mattress, jostling his brother around as he adjusts himself under the blanket.

They fall asleep almost instantly, clinging to each other, knowing that they’re safe, that no monsters can get to them.

Shiro’s constant nightmares elude him that night.


End file.
